roti: whole wheat flatbread
saas: mother-in-law
Sahib: sir, mister
salwar kameez: woman’s tunic and loose pants
samaj-jao: Understand?
samosa: a fried snack with a spicy potato/pea filling
sari: woman’s clothing, five yards long
semai ki kheer: sweet milk dessert made with vermicelli noodles
sev puri: type of fried snack food
shabash: Bravo!
sik: tribal dish served to pregnant women
s’il te plait: please (informal, in French)
sona: gold
suno: Listen!
tante: aunt (in French)
theek hai: that’s fine
tickety-boo: fine, in good order
tikka: forehead jewelry
tonga: horse-drawn carriage
topa: close-fitting head covering
trousseau: what a bride collects for her marriage (in French)
tumara naam batao: tell them your name
waa: Wow!
yar: yes
zaroor: absolutely
INDIAN GOLD: A WOMAN’S RETIREMENT FUND
People wonder why gold is so important to Indians. In a country where less than 10 percent of the gold that’s sold is currently mined there, the scarcity makes it more valuable. Perhaps it’s also because that metal can’t be destroyed. It can be melted, sure, but destroyed? Never. Which means it has the cachet of lasting forever. It’s easy for artisans to work with the soft metal. And, of course, pure 22- or 24-karat gold contrasts beautifully with olive complexions.
At some point, it is customary in Indian culture for a groom’s family to gift the bride with gold jewelry (her family provides a cash or land dowry to the groom’s family as a way of paying for her upkeep throughout the marriage). Her gold is meant to be sold only in times of hardship. For example, if the husband dies or if the family is in dire financial straits.
Styles of Indian jewelry are as varied as the precious stones used to adorn them. The influence of six centuries of Moghul rule in refining the art of jewelry-making and upscaling the intricacy of the designs cannot be overstated. The most popular style for weddings and special occasions is kundan. Everyday wear includes a pure gold chain and gold hoops or other small gold earrings.
Kundan Style
Kundan is the oldest style of jewelry worn in India. Unlike the “claw” settings for gems in the West, the Indian jeweler sets uncut diamonds, sapphires, rubies and other precious gems flush in the hollow spaces he creates on a solid gold base.
Meenakari Style
Meena means enamel in Hindi. Meenakari is unlike the enameling work in France, England and Turkey. Indian artisans—under the influence of the Moghuls—decorated gold jewelry with detailed enamel patterns into the depressions they created in the metal. My mother was gifted with a complete set of meenakari jewelry for her wedding, including armbands, by my father’s family. Each piece has her name in enamel.
Seed Pearls
This delicate style was a particular favorite of my mother’s. Film stars in the late ’50s and ’60s started wearing pearls, eschewing gold jewelry, which seemed old-fashioned to them. And my mother chose sets with lots of tiny, tiny seed pearls sewn together to create delicate earrings, necklaces and bracelets. I love them, too!
Calcutta Jewelry (Calcutta was renamed Kolkata)
Artisans take a piece of yellow gold, flatten it, then hammer and detail it to make very intricate but lightweight, delicate jewelry. No stones, pearls or enamel are ever added to the design.
Silver
Like many women of her generation, my mother wasn’t a big fan of silver. Silver is the metal of Rajasthani village women, who often wear multiple silver bangles, silver belts and thick silver anklets. The more silver a woman wore, the richer her family’s status in the village.
My mother was gifted a large amount of silver jewelry by her in-laws, who came from a Rajasthani village.
TAKING INSPIRATION FROM INDIAN FOOD
Aloo gobi. Parantha. Dal chawal. Gulab jamun. Palak paneer. Lassi. These were the foods of my childhood in Rajasthan. Long after my family left India and settled in America, my brothers and I continued to ask my mother—again and again—for those same dishes. Even now, when my family gets together, our meals include chapatti, subji and raita. When I first started writing this trilogy, I knew the intricate relationship that Indian people have with their food would be an important part of the story.
In the centuries before Marco Polo came to India in search of spices, Indians harvested black and green peppercorns, pressed oil from cloves, and ground mustard seeds to flavor foods, tantalize the senses, and heal the body. The flavors of cilantro, turmeric, garam masala and cumin are as much a part of my heritage, and my identity, as are the blue-green eyes I inherited from my mother, Sudha.
Even as I write this, I’m sipping chai infused with cardamom seeds, a stick of cinnamon and whole peppercorns. These overlapping flavors bring the India of my childhood alive again in my imagination, with all its chaotic, phantasmagoric glory.
Making Indian dishes takes time: multiple ingredients must be cut, peeled or diced; preparation must take place in stages; flavor is enhanced only by adding spices (as many as eight) at just the right time. Indian food is bold, colorful, bursting with aromas and flavors. What better way to enrich a plot and show character development than to infuse a story with one of the boldest, most beloved cuisines on earth?
ALOO GOBI
MATAR SUBJI
(POTATO-CAULIFLOWER-PEA CURRIED VEGETABLE)
My mother made this curried vegetable often. It’s easy and fast as well as healthy and delicious. Indian cooks keep plenty of potatoes, onions, garlic, chilies and coriander on hand because they are common ingredients in almost every vegetable dish.
In North India, aloo gobi matar subji is usually eaten with chapatti, nan or roti. Some people prefer basmati rice with their veggies. Another curried vegetable such as okra or eggplant or garbanzo beans might be served alongside it. A bowl of yogurt seasoned with cumin powder and salt would not go amiss. And, of course, a spicy mango or lemon chutney would be an excellent touch for those who want a little more kick to their meal.
INGREDIENTS:
2 russet potatoes (aloo), peeled and cubed
1 small cauliflower (gobi), florets separated
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas (matar)
1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic (or more, if preferred), finely chopped
1/2 cup canola or sunflower or safflower oil
2 tsp cumin seeds